enjoy the moment.

Travelogue: Antigua, Guatemala (Nov 2013)

We arrived in Antigua Friday afternoon.

First thing I did after we checked into the hotel was exchange money at the bank. I only did $50 because most places there accept American dollars and credit cards. Antigua is very touristy and most people speak English.

Lunch was so good! We got seated in an outdoor garden, surrounded by birds in cages and exotic flora.

After lunch, we went to the Mayan spa to book our massages for the next day.

Our group went our separate ways. I walked around with Rob and we explored the city. It’s totally walkable. Antigua is full of history and architectural gems.

There are many markets where you can haggle for the souvenirs you want.

It was a beautiful city at night, but definitely need to exercise caution when walking by yourself.

The next morning, we woke up early for a volcano hike at 6am. We booked through the hotel for $15 American dollars and then had to pay 50 Quetzales ($1=q7) at the hike. Our van driver picked us up from the hotel. It was a bit of a drive.

The hike was only 3 miles, but it took us about 3 hours to complete it because of all the rocks and horse poop.

(horse poop not pictured here)

This was one of my favorite parts: there was only a narrow strip that you could walk on without tumbling down the volcano side.

There was a cute little store almost to the top of our destination where you could purchase bracelets, necklaces, rings made with “lava” and coconut shells. Every piece of jewelry comes with a handmade baggie. They accept American dollars.

This was my favorite part! Our tour guide saw how excited I was at seeing him roast the marshmallows that he gave me another one to roast! The natural heat from volcano rocks was actually hot enough to toast them to perfection. Delicious.

Going down hill was more difficult but we held onto each other… great teamwork!

We were famished after the hike, so we went back to the same outdoor garden as the day before. BEST potatoes ever. And unexpectedly, best fish sandwich I’ve ever had! (I might have been biased by excessive hunger, though)

Mayan Spa — I purchased a package: body scrub, massage and pedicure. SO good after the hike. It cost about $60.

After the spa, I walked around the markets some more. Night had fallen once again…